Some Lancaster town workers considering unionizing

Pacheco: Union talk could be because of "bad management" by selectmen.

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LANCASTER -- Town employees are staying quiet on why some of them are trying to unionize, but Town Administrator Orlando Pacheco said the way selectmen have been handling town contracts is a likely factor.

On April 14, representatives of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees mailed a letter to Pacheco informing him that 25 Lancaster town employees had signed a petition indicating they wish to form a chapter of the union.

That was the same day Town Clerk Sue Thompson announced she was retiring after 10 years with the town. She said she was retiring following slow and frustrating contract negotiations with selectmen, including being without a contract since July and the removal of a stipend and other benefits.

Syria: "If they want to join a union, they should go for it."

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When asked about the union effort, Thompson said she would not have been eligible to join the union and was not involved in the process.

Pacheco said Thompson's interactions with selectmen and her resignation are not the sole reason some town employees want to unionize.

"I do think that's part of it, but this had to be in the works well in advance," Pacheco said.

He said it's not the first attempt Lancaster town employees have made to unionize.

"I am concerned that these employees are unionizing because they think they are working under bad management," he said, referring to the selectmen, not himself. "They see how employees have been treated lately, whether it be myself or Sue Thompson.

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He said the way selectmen dealt with Thompson's contract is "a cause for concern."

As for Pacheco, selectmen voted Dec. 31 not to renew his contract when it expires in June.

Pacheco cited the slow time frame of contract negotiations, saying no contracts have been completed since the current Board of Selectmen took office last year. He said the new contracts selectmen are pushing allow for termination without cause and no severance pay.

"That's very telling," he said.

Selectman Jean Syria said she doesn't think selectmen's actions are a factor in the unionization effort, and said selectmen have only been trying to make sure that different town employees receive similar benefits.

Pacheco said that as town administrator, his role isn't to advise town employees on whether they should unionize, but rather to explain what their options are as an impartial resource. He cautioned that unions charge dues and that while there could be benefits, there could also be liabilities.

He said town employees have not voted to decide to form a union. Their next step is to attend an evidentiary hearing with the Massachusetts Department of Labor.

Some town employees are already members of unions, including police, fire and public-works employees. The majority of town employees who would join the AFSCME union work in Town Hall.

Syria identified Principal Assessor Debra Sanders as the town employee who is "spearheading" the unionization effort.

Sanders declined to comment, as did three other town employees with job titles indicating that they signed the unionization petition.

"Debbie has tried it before, and if they want to join a union, they should go for it," Syria said. "I have no problem with that."

Syria said if town employees do organize, then "everything is on the table" when they negotiate new contracts. She clarified that when town employees become unionized, their contract negotiations will start from scratch.

Selectman Stan Starr said he has no strong opinion either way, and said any speculation from him on why some town employees want to unionize would just be conjecture.

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